


A Spark in the Forest

by valeriacatulli



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Force Healing, Happily Ever After, Post-Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Reylo - Freeform, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Spoilers, force projection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:33:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22094917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/valeriacatulli/pseuds/valeriacatulli
Summary: How did Ben Solo get from the Endor system to Exegol after Rey stole his TIE?What if he didn't?What if he's still out there?Let's hope so.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 9
Kudos: 109
Collections: TROS Reylo Fix-it Fics





	1. The Patient

_The Forest Moon of Endor_

When the enormous wedge-shaped abomination in the sky burst into flames, Wicket W. Warrick knew it was time for a celebration. He loved celebrations, and in his lifetime there had been many.

There were the small celebrations for old friends returning for a visit: the Princess, the Jedi, the Golden One, the Wookiee. (The Princess' mate never visited, but Wicket supposed he could understand; that relationship started off on a bad foot.) The celebrations for accomplishments: when his cub was born, when he became the first Ewok to pilot a spacecraft, when the Princess introduced her own cub. The greatest celebration of all was that first one, the one that had followed the Battle of Endor, when Wicket and his people had destroyed innumerable Imperial troops to make a big contribution to the destruction of the Evil Moon (what Chewbacca told him was known to the others as "Death Star"). He could tell that the destruction of the new evil in the sky was another big one. While the First Order had only brought threats and occasional small incursions to Wicket's home, he longed for a time when everyone in the galaxy could celebrate their freedom.

For now, he had a party to plan. Wicket's diplomatic skills and affinity for alien languages (he understood Basic, Huttese and Ryl at this point and could speak fluent Shyriiwook) had earned him a place among the tribal leadership. But executing trades and treaties and vetting foreign visitors was nowhere near as much fun as planning a celebration. He finished a last check of the wiring in his shuttle engine and began the trek back to the village.

* * *

_Tatooine, three days later..._

Rey hopped out of her nearly-new, souped-up speeder and began unloading a great haul of supplies from her run in to Tosche Station. She shook her head and smiled wistfully. She didn't know why the General had remembered her so kindly in her will, but it was certainly making this new phase of her life much easier than her previous residency on a desert planet. She tried not to think too much about the reasons why the General--Leia--had bequeathed to her Luke's childhood home and all the wealth formerly held in trust for her "missing" son, Ben Solo.

Rey chose to appreciate the fact that she had, indeed, been loved; that nothing remained that could threaten her freedom or hold her down; and that she had friends everywhere (even if she didn't feel like being around them right now). There had been time to mourn over the three days since the battle against the Final Order, and there would be again. But right now she owed it to herself and to everyone who had put their faith in her to establish a good life here on Tatooine, a base from which she could fulfill her life's mission of doing as much good as possible for the galaxy. With her unusual gifts and her now considerable wealth, that should be a lot of good.

After all the parts had been properly stored for the morrow's work on renovating the moisture vaporators and repairing thirty-year-old fire damage, Rey prepared a snack and ate it in the open-plan kitchen. Tatooine must have a much less stormy climate, she mused; on Jakku, this room would have been filled with sand on at least a monthly basis. She finished the delightful meal of bantha cheese and fruits quickly, then stepped out of the structure to visit her meditation platform. 

Rey arranged herself into the lotus position that now came as second nature, reaching out into the Force. She gave thanks, as she had so many times already, to the many Jedi who had come to her aid as she faced Palpatine. She was getting to know some of them already, since Tatooine seemed to attract frequent visitations from Force ghosts. Now, as she chanted "Be with me," she hoped it would be the Skywalker twins who came. She had questions that no one alive would be able to answer. And it would be nice to ask them to a friendly face, someone who understood her.

* * *

_The Forest Moon of Endor_

What a celebration that had been. Wicket smiled in satisfaction, his head finally clear of euphoric hallucinogens. The Ewoks had partied for forty-eight hours; thanks to Wicket's efforts, they had been joined by representatives of three other sentient species who also wished to rejoice at the fall of the First Order. 

Now, though, he needed to get back to everyday life. He knocked at the entrance to his daughter's hut. Cindel W. Warrick was a fine warrior, nearly thirty Galactic standard years in age. Despite her skill as a warrior and her familial relationship to a tribal leader, Cindel remained unmated. Rather than having cubs, she had decided to follow the path of medicine, the path of the life-force of the forest. Someday, she would take over as the tribe's chief healer. For now, her studies allowed her plenty of time to accompany her father on his unusual adventures.

Wicket understood, in the abstract, why no Ewoks before him had piloted starships. The crafts were generally made to fit much larger creatures, and the Ewoks didn't have a great history with outsiders, preferring to be left alone than to commission extra-small pilot seats. It was really the chance encounter with Chewbacca, who had taken Wicket under his wing so to speak, that led to his opportunities and his ownership of a specially outfitted human shuttle. But what Wicket did not understand was why so few Ewoks were willing to leave the surface of their forest moon now that he was flying in space regularly. His daughter had always come with him, ever since she was a cub, and two or three of the young unmarried warriors who were unusually reckless would fill out the necessary crew complement. But most of his friends and relations thought his travels in space were crazy or suicidal.

"Don't worry, Father," Cindel smiled at him as if she could read his mind. "Someday the young ones will understand. Many of us are already proud of what you have done. Now, is it time for us to go?"

Wicket nodded. Each month, they traveled to a different moon of Endor to trade or gather supplies. This month the rotation had fallen on the most difficult mission. They would fly to Kef Bir and land on the wreckage of the Evil Moon to salvage metals that didn't naturally occur in the Endor system. It was tricky flying, made more difficult by unpredictable atmospheric conditions. And Cindel always suffered headaches in certain parts of the wreckage, notably the destroyed throne room. Still, what was the point in being an adventurer if you didn't test your limits every now and again?

* * *

_Tatooine_

Rey smiled in delight as she felt the approach of her two favorite Force ghosts. The "be with me" mantra seemed to work so smoothly after the destruction of the Sith and the balancing of the Force. Luke flickered into view first, followed by Leia. 

"What's on your mind, kid?" Luke asked. "Settling in to the old farmstead okay?"

"It's lovely. Thank you for thinking of me, Leia," Rey said. The general's ghost smiled serenely back at her, inclining her head in a gesture that clearly indicated it was nothing. And, Rey assumed, the farmstead really did mean nothing to Leia. Perhaps she had never even been there; just held onto it for Luke, trusting that someday he would reappear from his mysterious exile.

Rey looked down at her hands, then back up to meet Luke's gaze. "I do have something on my mind. Tatooine is rather...remote."

"If there's a bright center of the universe," Luke responded, grinning, "Tatooine is the planet furthest from it. But we thought you'd like a bit of peace after the way you were thrust into the center of it all," he said, exchanging a glance with his sister.

"Absolutely," Rey nodded firmly. "It just worries me to be so far from my friends. So I was wondering. These new abilities I've learned. Like Force healing. What if Finn or Rose was injured, and I wanted to heal them? Could I use that technique of Force projection that you used at Crait, Luke, to go and heal them?"

"Hmm," Luke said quietly, stroking his beard. "Yoda would be a better one to ask. You're so powerful now you might be able to do that no problem. I can tell you for certain that when I first met you, if you had tried Force projection, it would have killed you."

"You're not the first person to tell me that," Rey responded with a wistful grimace. Luke's brow furrowed momentarily, but Leia gave her a compassionate look. 

"But when I projected to Crait, I had a number of factors to manage. As it turned out, it killed me, but it was a lot more taxing than I would imagine your garden variety Force healing would be."

"What were the factors, Master Luke?" Rey queried eagerly. She didn't want to miss out any opportunities to help her friends with her newfound powers.

"According to my studies, the skill and power of the Jedi projecting themself is the most important factor. Next is the realism of the projection; it is said that some Jedi mastered the ability to actually transport themselves to another location, though it was very draining. My projection was very convincing except in my inability to interact with my environment. It also took power to display myself as I had looked many years before, so as to mess with Ben's mind," he spoke quietly with a tinge of sorrow to his voice. "Distance is another factor, though it might be hard to believe when you are dealing with something outside of space and time like the Force. Theoretically, a Force user skilled in instinctive astrogation could select a path of minimal distance, easing the strain of the projection. You could study that, you're a good pilot," he went on. "Lastly, the emotional aspects of the projection event. I think what really killed me was having to face Ben. If I were just projecting myself to say hi or lead some stormtroopers on a merry chase, I probably could have retreated to Ahch-To, had a nice nap for a few days, and gone on with my thrilling life in exile."

"But you gave it your all," Rey spoke with awe. "You faced him, distracted them, and gave us the hope we needed to escape and regroup."

Leia smiled. "I hope there is nothing left in the galaxy that could drain your impressive Force powers to that extent, Rey," she said encouragingly. "You should definitely try projecting yourself to visit your friends. See how you feel afterwards. If it is easy to recover, you can try projection healing."

Rey smiled. "Thank you for your confidence, Master Leia. I feel better now about my remoteness."

"If that's all you needed to ask us today, tell me how Tosche Station was!" Luke said with a laugh.

* * *

_Kef Bir, Endor System_

Wicket carefully set the shuttle down in a flat area in the wreckage of the Evil Moon. He was always glad when that bit of tricky flying was over with. 

The four Ewoks carefully climbed out of the craft, carrying their rope harnesses and climbing gear. Backpacks contained pulleys for raising and lowering heavier pieces of valuable wreckage. For the most part, though, their arboreal lifestyles put them on a good footing for the precipitous heights they had to face to explore the ruins. 

A sharp salt spray buffeted them from all sides, and Cindel sniffed the air warily. "Father, I'm concerned," she said. Wicket tilted his head to the side, looking at his daughter. Her powers of perception were legendary and if she said they needed to come back another day, he would pack them all right back off this cursed hulk. "What's wrong?" he said. "Your headaches?"

"That's just it, Father," she said, mystified. "No headache today. I think it is the first time I have approached this place without discomfort. Though, we will see if we go near the throne room, if that is still the case. But there's one other thing," she went on. "I feel that there is someone alive in the structure." Cindel shivered. 

"That could be anything though, right?" asked the larger young warrior who accompanied them. He was called Tschui, after the great hero Chewbacca of course. It was a joke at his expense, because the young fellow was disproportionately large for an Ewok. He towered over the chiefs by at least three inches and was often hitting his head on low-hanging branches. "Like, a large fish maybe? Something we could eat?"

Cindel shook her head, smiling at Tschui's familiar focus on his stomach. "I don't think this is a fish. If I had to guess, I would say I am sensing someone sentient. There are people who live on Kef Bir, correct, Father?"

Wicket nodded. "Yes, many who rejected the evil of being stormtroopers have colonized the plains. They pasture the orbak. But when they come to the ruins they generally leave their skimmers moored just here."

"Then if it is one of them, they must be stranded," Cindel looked worried. "I think I have been given this sense for a reason. We need to find this being and ascertain if they are safe and well."

Tschui and his companion were excited by the prospect of a rescue mission, and Wicket always welcomed an opportunity to speak with offworlders, so no one was that disappointed to potentially have to alter their salvage mission. Wicket gave Cindel a moment to meditate and try to identify the location of the life force she had sensed. 

"If I had to guess, I would think it is coming from near the throne room," she said with some trepidation. "I will be better able to tell as we get closer. It is very faint. I fear they are not well."

"Onward, then!" Wicket took charge. They had a long climb ahead.

Approaching the ruined throne room was always grueling. In Wicket's first expeditions, it had also been grisly, before the last of the decaying stormtroopers' bodies were dragged off to be eaten by the amphibious eelbeasts that lurked somewhere beneath the swirling ocean surface. He never liked the throne room once he got to it, though some of the most valuable metals had been found in and near it. Then, when his daughter started joining the expeditions as a young teenager, her headaches had provided another impetus to avoid the area and scavenge different parts of the enormous wreck.

Now, though, she was adamant that they needed to go there. And her headache was gone. He wasn't sure what to make of it. He had always attributed the headaches to the evil nature of the place and the men who had once lived in it. Could something have happened that cured the site of evil? Could it be related to the exploding Star Destroyer he had witnessed?

Wicket refocused on a tricky spot of climbing. He might not be as spry as the younger Ewoks, but he was far more active than most his age. He led the way into the throne room area and was shocked by what he saw.

What had previously appeared to be a solid wall on the left hand side of the chamber was now revealed to have been a door. It led to a murky, empty room. Scattered across the floor of the main throne room and that chamber were countless tiny fragments of what appeared to be glass. Remnants of a frame suggested the object had once been vaguely pyramidal in shape. 

And in the midst of the glass fragments, a man lay on the floor on his back.

Wicket let Cindel approach the man first while the two young warriors hung back in hesitation at the entrance to the long hated chamber. The healer knelt down by the large human. His skin was pale, almost translucent, and his veins protruded in a way that Cindel believed signified severe dehydration in a furless creature. His eyes were closed and his appearance was somewhat peaceful, despite his skin being marred with various injuries. His clothing was black and tattered, and it was impossible for her to guess how old he was.

"The signs are not good, Father," Cindel said. "His life force is almost entirely extinguished. We need to get some water into him immediately, and then we can transport him back to the forest, for he does not appear to have any spinal injury."

"I do not recognize him as any of the Kef Birians I have met before, so your plan is good, Cindel. From home we can request that Chewie send human healers to assist him. If he survives."

"Yes, Father." Cindel paused. "The strangest thing...what I can sense of this man's life force is tinged with something familiar to me. I could almost swear he has visited our Forest Moon."

Wicket quirked his head to the side in thought. The man did not look familiar to him, but perhaps he had been a Rebel pilot at the great battle? 

"Whoever he is, let's get some water into him and then rig up the pulleys. It will not be an easy job to get a human back down to our shuttle." The others nodded to their leader and swiftly got to work.


	2. The Spark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chewie and Finn help Wicket get the best possible healer on the case.  
> What will Rey find when she returns to the Endor system?

_Hanna City, Chandrila, twelve hours later_

Chewbacca was raised from an uneasy sleep on Chandrila by the trilling of a comm tone he definitely did not expect to be hearing right now. He was visiting the government center to help Poe, Finn, Kaydel, and the rest of the Resistance get a start on governing. They had emphasized the importance of including the voices of many species, so Chewie was here until some more diplomatically oriented Wookiees could replace him.

But this ring tone...that must be Wicket calling from Endor. He probably just heard the news about the fall (again) of Palpatine and wants to congratulate us, Chewie thought, covering his ears with his paws. But the insistent ringing did not stop. 

Chewie pulled himself from the bed and went to answer the call. " _Hello, Wicket_ ," he yowled grumpily in Shyriiwook. " _What do you need? I was asleep_ ," he added petulantly. Chewie did always enjoy hearing Wicket speak Shyriiwook, though. The little fellow made his best effort to pronounce the low tones correctly, but he often sounded like a sped-up recording.

" _I need help from a healer_ ," Wicket replied. This got Chewie's attention immediately. Normally the Ewoks handled things with their own medicine men and their traditional remedies. This must be a dire emergency. " _We have retrieved a human from the wreckage of the Death Star on Kef Bir_."

Chewie tilted his head thoughtfully. " _We just had a mission on Kef Bir recently. I will ask Finn and Rey if anyone went missing. What is the human's health status?_ "

" _Extremely poor,_ " Wicket responded. " _He is barely alive. You know my daughter is a great healer. She sensed his life force. But it is waning, and nothing we do makes any difference_."

" _To bring a bacta tank and medical droid in a shuttle, or transfer a medical frigate to your system, would take days,_ " Chewie mused. " _Do you think you can keep him alive that long_?"

" _I do not know_ ," Wicket shook his head sadly. " _If only Master Luke were still with us. I trust the Jedi, their magic accords well with our forest_."

" _Well, we do have one Jedi left_ ," Chewie said. " _Rey. I will ask her. Before I sign off, is there anything more you can tell me about the human? Age, size, what is he wearing? Any identification documents_?"

* * *

_Tatooine, the next morning_

Like every day, Rey made a small breakfast before running out onto her ledge to meditate. As she thought about her future path and her past tribulations, once again she yearned for advice from the masters that had gone before. It was a lonely life having Force powers and no one alive to really talk to about them. Perhaps once Finn had set up the government, she could train him. 

For now, though, she reached out in the Force, chanting "be with me" again and again. As the day before, Luke and Leia materialized next to her. "Sorry to keep you at my beck and call," she said. "Hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

"Don't worry," Leia reassured her. "Time doesn't work in remotely the same way here." Rey smiled, feeling less bad about constantly calling on them for advice.

"Why is it so often you two who show up here?" Rey asked.

"Perhaps because we were your teachers in life," Luke answered with a shrug. "I'm surprised you don't see Ben Kenobi, given where you are living."

"I don't think location has anything to do with it," Leia shook her head, disagreeing with her brother. "If it did she should see Anakin as much as you. The relationship in life makes much more sense as a reason."

"But if that's the case," Rey swallowed hard, barely able to articulate the next words she wanted to say. They came out in a whisper. "Why hasn't Ben come to me?" 

Leia saw the tears glistening at the edge of her eyes and wished she could wipe them away. "Don't worry, child. I'm sure he will come to you in time."

"But...is he with you? There isn't, like, a separate zone of the Force for the spirits of dead darksiders, is there?"

"No, no, Rey," Luke hastened to reassure her. "Only those who die in the Light become one with the Force in a way that allows them to continue to communicate with the living. But how we each show up here varies. For Obi-Wan or Yoda, death and rebirth in the Light was simultaneous. For Anakin, I dragged that corpse all the way back to Endor before he saw fit to vacate his Darth Vader suit. Leia here took her sweet time showing up too."

"And when I... before Ben revived me..." Rey paused. "Was I there with you? Could you sense me?"

Luke chuckled. "It's not like we're having a Jedi party here, Rey. The Force is vast. No one lets us know when there's a new resident. Leia and I are usually together. I guess it is because of our bond. But we certainly didn't see you and we wouldn't expect to. The Force moves in mysterious ways."

"So...have you seen Ben?" Rey asked breathlessly.

"No," Leia shook her head sadly. "I dearly wish to, but I have not yet seen him."

Rey nodded emptily. She wasn't sure what she expected to hear. Now that the topic was out there, she yearned more than ever for closure. "I do have one more question. For you, Leia."

"Anything," the regal woman replied. 

"When Luke passed into the Force, we both felt it," Rey said. "But I was wondering...since he was your bond mate, did it feel different from the pain you felt when Han died or Hosnia Prime was destroyed? Was it more painful? Or was the bond able to persist across the boundary of death?"

Leia shook her head. "I wish I could answer that clearly, but every death feels different. Hosnia and Alderaan were very similar--just suffocating. When Han died I first felt the emotional anguish from Ben. His block on our parent-child bond slipped in that moment. It was awful. The actual death was more muted, because Han is not Force sensitive. When Luke died...it did hurt. And while I was alive, our bond did not operate anymore like it did when we both were living. He just came to me as any Force ghost might, which means not very often because I was not particularly sensitive to apparitions."

"Luckily now that we are both in the Force it seems we can sense one another again," Luke finished his sister's thought. 

"Hmm," Rey needed to digest this information. At least there was an explanation for why she couldn't sense Ben any more. An explanation that was not fully devoid of hope, if she took a long view. And Rey of Jakku was very good at taking a long view. Hopefully, he could come to her as a Force ghost before she succumbed to old age, though.

"If you don't mind my asking," Leia cut into her thoughts, "what did you feel when Ben passed into the Force?"

Rey shook her head. "I...didn't. It was just a fading, not the pain like when Ben and I both noticed your passing. But I might have been in enough pain from just having been dead a minute before that I didn't notice? I don't know."

Rey was about to thank the Skywalker twins kindly for their insight when her meditation was interrupted by a comm ringing. She leapt to her feet and ran back into the building to retrieve it.

"Finn!" she exclaimed. "I was just thinking about you. How wonderful to hear from you. How are you?"

"Rey, I'm fine, but we need your help," the young man responded seriously. "Do you remember when we went to Kef Bir?"

"Certainly," she answered. How could she forget her terrifying vision? Or fighting Ben Solo? Healing him? Stealing his TIE?

"Some old friends of Chewie's from the Endor system have gotten in touch. Sounds like they found a human badly injured in the Death Star wreckage."

Rey grimaced. It had been no easy matter for her to get to that wreckage and climb around in it. If one of those renegade troopers who inhabited the plains had decided to go scavenging, it would undoubtedly be extremely hazardous. "How can I help, Finn?" she asked immediately.

"Can you travel to the Forest Moon of Endor and try to heal this person? Chewie's friends apparently were big fans of Luke and have a lot of faith in the Jedi. And I think you can get there a lot faster than we can send a medical frigate."

"You would send a medical frigate for one person?" Rey was impressed that the fortunes of the Resistance seemed to have improved that much.

"I have no idea if we even have a medical frigate. I'm just relaying a message from Chewie. He says these guys, the "Ewoks" apparently, were instrumental in bringing down the second Death Star. Says we all owe them."

"So if they want a Jedi, they get a Jedi. Pity this happened so soon. I was just trying to learn about Force healing by Force projection."

"Like Luke on Crait Force projection?" Finn looked horrified. "Hell no, Rey. You do not need to kill yourself for some friend of the Ewoks, or one of Jannah's allies, or whatever this guy is. Please just get in a ship. If you even can. If you cannot, we'll send the medics."

"I can do it," Rey said confidently. "Keep in touch, Finn. We're doing what we were called to do."

"May the Force be with you, Rey," Finn said, smiling softly at his faraway friend.

"And with you," she answered with a smile. She hurried to set the systems she had repaired so far to standby, keeping the farmstead in good shape for however many days she would need to be away. Then she gathered food and clothing into a sack, filled several bottles with water, and prepared the Falcon for takeoff. Rey was excited to return to the Endor system. She had heard that each moon had a strikingly different environment, and Leia and Chewie always mentioned the Forest Moon with fondness. Now she would get to visit it herself, and on a philanthropic mission no less.

* * *

_The Forest Moon of Endor, one day later_

Landing the ship in a minuscule clearing, Rey realized that whoever named this place the "Forest Moon" wasn't kidding. Her prior experience with forests was limited to Takodana and Starkiller Base. Now that no one was chasing her with a lightsaber, she had a much sharper awareness of the sounds and smells of the plants and animals around her. She was barely a kilometer from the coordinates Finn had sent her for the rendezvous with the Ewok leader, but it looked like it would be quite a challenging hike. 

Fallen trunks, covered in shaggy moss, obstructed the path -- if it even was a path and not just a "slightly less treed space." Once she passed by what looked like the remains of a human structure--a bunker perhaps--but it was covered thickly in vines. After half an hour's hiking, she even came across the picked-over wreckage of an AT-ST. She shook her head, smiling slightly as she thought of her home on Jakku. How differently the two Imperial walkers had aged. This one was rusted and rotted, with darling rodents popping out of one corner to look at her inquisitively. Her AT-AT had had greater structural integrity, but no cute friends living in it.

Rey hadn't known what to expect the Ewoks to look like -- Chewie had once described them as "my mini-mes," which had led Rey to think she was probably misunderstanding Shyriiwook. But when she finally saw one, she realized just how apt his description had been. The fierce warrior who stood before her in a ceremonial hood, brandishing a spear, was quite possibly one of the cuddliest creatures she had ever seen. 

" _Greetings, Jedi_ ," the Ewok chirped in what Rey quickly realized was high-pitched Shyriiwook. " _You may call me Wicket. My daughter Cindel is a healer who hears the life force of the Forest. She is caring for the patient and will be deeply grateful for your aid._ "

Rey cleared her throat. Despite having an excellent understanding of Shyriiwook, she had never actually attempted to speak it. "Do you understand Basic, Wicket?" she asked.

The Ewok nodded. "I speak Basic bad," he said. " _Shyriiwook is much easier for my mouth_."

Rey grinned. "I completely understand. Let's each speak what we like and understand one another, don't you think? My name is Rey Skywalker, and it is such a pleasure to visit your home."

" _Rey Skywalker_ ," Wicket's eyes glittered in admiration. " _Are you Luke's daughter?_ "

"No," Rey laughed. "The name is a sort of Jedi honorific. Luke was just a crotchety old hermit who treated me kindly. Still does, though he is in the Force now."

Wicket nodded. " _Chewie told me. The Princess and the Jedi both passed. I meant to ask--my daughter thinks the life force of the patient is familiar to her. That he must have visited Endor. Are there any friends of Chewie from the great battle still living? Pilot Wedge? The Princess's mate?_ "

Rey looked saddened. "No, the Princess's mate died tragically at the battle of Starkiller Base. Wedge Antilles still lives, but I don't believe he's missing. He's an older man, white hair?"

Wicket shook his head. " _Must not be Wedge. When we knew him he had black hair. Well, if you manage to revive this person we can find out if my daughter is right. Let me show you to your cabin and then we will let you begin work with Cindel._ "

Rey followed Wicket to the base of an intricate series of platforms and ladders winding between the trunks of several enormous trees. She gaped in wonder as she looked up at them. Rey had never seen anything like this before. Pausing for a moment, she closed her eyes and reached out in the Force. She felt thousands of small creatures living in the ecosystem around her. She felt the bolder signatures of the Ewoks. The energy of the trees themselves was amazing. She followed their life force up, up toward the stars, toward space.

And it was then that she felt it.

The tiniest flicker.

A trace element almost, but she would know it anywhere, down to its most irreducible, smallest fragment: Ben Solo's Force signature.

Rey gasped and opened her eyes, turning to look around her in hopes of finding the familiar blue glow of a Force ghost. But there was nothing. Just, buried now in the back of her consciousness, that tiny, tiny spark.

Wicket, ahead of her, had already started scaling the first ladder, and beckoned to her eagerly. " _I know that look_ ," he said fondly. " _My daughter loves to commune with the life-force of the forest_."

"You mentioned that she is a healer," Rey commented, shouldering her pack and following the Ewok. The spark in her mind would give her light to help her heal the Ewoks' patient. Or so she hoped. "Do you think it's possible your daughter is Force-sensitive? Like a Jedi?"

Wicket chortled, causing Rey to break out into a grin. Ewok laughter was...unique. " _A Jedi Ewok?_ " Wicket wiped tears from his eyes, then returned to climbing. " _Who ever heard of such a thing?_ "

"Well," Rey responded, "Chewie tells me that before you, that's how people would have responded to the idea of an Ewok pilot."

Wicket harrumphed and shook his head. " _My daughter is a wonderful healer and a brave warrior. But she does not make anyone float through the air. You keep your weird powers. But, of course, thank you for bringing them to our aid._ "

Rey smiled to herself behind him. Middle-aged men were the same in every species. Grumpy and averse to change. No wonder Wicket had liked Luke so much.


	3. The Healer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey thinks she's come to Endor on an altruistic mission. But she's going to benefit more than anyone.

Rey dragged her fingertips across the rough bark of the tree as they climbed a ramp that spiraled around it again and again. Finally, at the third landing they reached, they arrived at wherever Wicket was leading her.

Rey looked around to get her bearings. If she was correct, they were about two thirds of the way up to the tree canopy. She marveled at how thick the trunk still was. This tree could support a lot of weight even at higher levels than where they were. The hut directly ahead of her, though, was so large that it was probably for the best that it was comparatively low down. Wicket led her inside. She barely had to duck to enter, and within it was more than tall enough for her to stand comfortably. The room was furnished with a large bed and a rocking chair, currently occupied by a sleeping Ewok.

" _This will be your room, Jedi Rey_ ," Wicket said. " _You may leave your things here, for there is still a ways to climb to the medicine house. I hoped to introduce you to my daughter, but it appears she has fallen asleep. She has been up two long nights watching the patient._ "

Just then the Ewok in the rocking chair startled and stirred. She unfolded herself into a cheerful mass of black-brown fur. Bright green eyes flashed from her face under an ornate ceremonial headdress. She hopped forward and offered Rey her paw. 

"I am Cindel," she chirped in Basic. "You are the Jedi?"

"Yes, I am Rey," Rey responded. "I understand Shyriiwook, if you prefer to speak that language."

Cindel smiled broadly, showing pointy white teeth. "Both are good. Thanks to my father I have met many offworlders. I have only learned those two languages, but I learned them well."

"Indeed," Rey smiled in return. "Well, I think I am ready. Shall we visit the man who needs my help?"

Cindel nodded, then paused, closing her eyes in meditation for a moment. "I almost think I sense his life force becoming stronger now," the Ewok said. "Starting around when my father went off to meet you. But it may just be wishful thinking. I don't want to have found this human and felt called to save him, only to have him drift away."

Rey nodded. She knew exactly what Cindel meant.

The Ewok healer chattered on as she led Rey out of the hut and across a suspension bridge to a ramp surrounding an even larger tree. "So, tell me about Force healing. I have never seen it done. The last time the Jedi visited I was only five standard years -- still a cub!"

Rey followed behind the energetic but waddling gait of her guide. "I can't claim to know everything about Force healing myself. Two years ago I didn't even know I was Force sensitive!"

"But you have healed?"

"Yes, many times, and multiple species."

Cindel nodded. "Tell me about the last time you healed someone. Was it a very dire injury or an illness? Or does it end up mostly being little aches and sprains?"

Rey gulped, thinking back to her last healing. "It occurred in this very system, actually. By the Death Star ruins. I...I had fatally stabbed my bondmate with his lightsaber. I healed the wound."

Cindel looked at her quizzically. "I don't understand."

Rey gave a sad smile. "I don't think anyone does. I thought he was an enemy. I didn't think I would kill him. But he was distracted, and I...it went right through him. And it felt very wrong."

"So you made amends? By healing the damage you did?" Cindel prompted her.

Rey nodded. "That was one of the most dire wounds I have healed. And somehow it healed our relationship, too."

"So now you are mated?"

Rey flushed. "He was bonded to me by the Force, not anything human sanctioned. Even before I stabbed him. And now...now he is gone. He repaid my healing by reviving me from death after I overcame Emperor Palpatine, and it was too much for him. He became one with the Force, I watched him fade away."

"I'm so sorry," Cindel said, pulling the tall woman down into a furry embrace. "Clearly the sorrow has not healed. Let me distract you with the beauty of our Forest and the light of good work, and someday you will be ready to tell me the joyful parts too. Even if it means you visit us again a decade from now."

Rey smiled tearfully and set her mind to the future. She checked, just momentarily, the spark in the back of her mind. If anything it was glowing brighter now, that little fragment of Ben's Force signature. Maybe coming to this forest that was so full of life would be the catalyst that would bring his ghost back to her.

The Ewok healer was leading the way up yet another ladder and Rey followed easily. Not for the first time she was thankful for the challenges of her life scavenging in the ships' graveyard on Jakku. "Now it's your turn," she spoke to her host. "Finn told me your father found the patient in the Death Star ruins. Were you there?"

"Yes, I was," Cindel spoke over her shoulder as she continued to climb. "The man was lying in the throne room, where I had not visited for ages."

"I can understand that," Rey nodded in agreement. "What a horrible feeling there is in that place."

"Was," Cindel responded. "I normally have headaches there, but this time, they were gone."

"Strange," Rey said, looking closely at Cindel. "Maybe by ending Palpatine we really did heal the galaxy."

"It would be nice to have less forces of evil running around," agreed the bear-like healer. "Anyway, the man was just there on the floor, surrounded by pieces of glass from a relic I had never seen there before. I don't know if he brought it there or if it was from the secret room we never knew was there, that stood open."

"The relic was probably the Sith wayfinder I had gone there to retrieve. It was destroyed." Rey thought for a moment. "I hope this person didn't get somehow harmed or cursed by the remains of that awful relic. I'd rather revive a scavenger like myself than someone possessed by a Sith ghost!"

"My father says the humans did scavenge the Death Star, but we never saw any evidence they could get up to the top levels. You seem unusually good at climbing, for a human."

Rey smiled. "Jedi training emphasizes leaping, too. I could show you later."

Cindel clapped her hands. "Sounds fun. But we are almost here. Do you wish to meditate or anything before we enter the medicine house? Are there supplies you will need?"

Rey shook her head. "Let me see the patient first. I will meditate after I assess his situation and what I can hope to do for him." She followed Cindel to the door of a long, low hut. The Ewok pulled a curtain away to reveal a long form stretched out on a pile of leaves and fir needles, shrouded in blankets. She gestured for Rey to precede her into the hut.

Rey smiled, feeling that little spark glowing even a little brighter as she bent down to enter the hut on her mission of healing. She shuffled forward, trying not to hit her head on the beams of the low ceiling, then bent down to pull back the blankets.

A glimmer of light pierced the eaves under the thatched roof of the medicine hut, illuminating motes of dust on its way. The light shone on the inert figure on the floor as Rey uncovered him, and she let out a gasp of shock.

Cindel looked at the Jedi in concern. The young woman gripped the corner of the blanket in one hand and clasped her other hand tightly over her mouth, eyes wide with surprise. "Rey Skywalker! What is wrong with the patient?" she cried out.

Rey dropped the corner of the blanket and took a step backward, shaking her head in astonishment. Just then the back of her head collided with a roofbeam and she collapsed to a squatting position. Cindel hurried over to massage her bruised head and try to find out what was wrong.

Apparently the impact had brought Rey back to herself, though, because she tried to articulate her thoughts. "That man died five days ago on the other side of the galaxy," she whispered hoarsely, barely restraining tears. She shook her head. "This can't be real."

"Who is he?" Cindel asked.

"He...he looks like my bondmate," Rey looked up at the Ewok with wet eyes. "I don't understand. I hope it isn't some trick of the dark side."

"Rey..." Cindel hesitated. "I think you should reach out with your feelings. I think we are meant to heal this man. You will know if it is really him."

Rey nodded, biting her lip. "I'm afraid. I lost him, and if this is a trick..."

Cindel gave her a hug. "There is a tiny chance that I can help verify his identity. I think this man is familiar to me. Is there any reason I would know your bondmate?"

Rey looked at her seriously. "You knew Princess Leia Organa, right?"

The Ewok nodded. "She is--was--a great friend of my father."

"Did you ever meet her son?"

Cindel's eyes opened wide. "Little Ben? Of course! We played together as cubs." Rey's meaning seemed to hit her and she looked over at the prone figure. "Wow, he got much larger. No wonder I couldn't place him. Nice mane, like his mother's." Cindel paused. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's heal Ben Solo."

Rey clasped her hand and took a deep breath. Cindel was right; in the Force she could feel the truth of the man's identity. Somehow, it really was Ben Solo here on the floor of an Ewok hut, high above the forest floor. "Cindel, there is something I need you to do for me." The Ewok nodded. "As I heal him, please monitor his life force and mine with your skills. If it seems I am pouring too much into him, poke me with one of those spears. Okay?"

The Ewok smiled. "My pleasure. I understand--healing someone who is this faded may be risky."

"I lost him healing me. I would gladly give my life for his, but I would rather stop the cycle if he isn't really dead."

Rey shuffled forward on her knees to take her place by the head of Ben's makeshift bedding. She stroked his greasy, matted hair gently, brushing it away from his face. The bruising she had seen when he fought beside her was still there, though slightly faded, and it appeared the Ewoks had washed away the dried blood. Wicket had told her they had found a way to hydrate him and that he had no major identifiable injuries, so whatever kept him this lifeless must be the psychic strain he had experienced healing her after their battle with Palpatine.

She gently worked an arm under his neck and shifted his head and shoulders until they were cradled in her lap. Even emaciated from five days of not eating, he was still massive. Rey shook her head, trying to drive away the doubts that wondered how this was real and how any of this could be happening. She needed to gather her strength and her peace to find and nourish his life force. To bring Ben Solo back.

Rey closed her eyes, smoothing her hand over the tattered fabric of his black thermal shirt. There was barely a heartbeat. She placed her hand firmly on his chest and reached out into the Force.

"Be with me," she chanted. "Be with me." Behind her, the little Ewok placed her own paws on Rey's shoulders, reaching out in the Force to monitor the wellbeing of the two Force-sensitive humans. She felt as Rey's glowing power swelled, and suddenly a blue glowing form appeared outside the hut. Master Luke smiled at her. Soon another and another form appeared. The Princess was there, and a young man with shaggy hair who Cindel didn't recognize. Rey kept glowing in the Force and feeding energy into the prone form on the floor, and Cindel felt it as his life force gradually rekindled and began to grow stronger. She could see his chest rising and falling as he took the deep breaths of a sleeper rather than the shallow ones he had been eking out when she cared for him.

The man stirred, and Cindel backed away from Rey. She hurried out of the hut to fetch water and a mild food for the patient, smiling shyly at the glowing blue form of the man's mother. Inside the hut, deep in her trance Rey felt Cindel's absence and Ben's movement, and she opened her eyes. She looked down into dark eyes she thought she would never see again. And for the second time, she got to see him really smile.

Ben sat up and seized her in a joyful, crushing embrace. "Rey," he spoke hoarsely, "we really did it."

"But how?" she asked, breaking away to brush his face with her hand. "I thought you went into the Force. We kissed, and I was so happy--and then you faded away."

Ben was still smiling. "How do you think I got to Exegol after _someone_ stole my TIE? I took a page from Uncle Luke. Force projection."

"But that means..." Rey trailed off, suddenly looking at his lips.

"That means I am still really looking forward to doing _this_ in real life," Ben replied, claiming her mouth with his. 

Cindel was just approaching the medicine house with a tray of food when the blue glowing form she didn't know gestured her off to the side. Luke and Leia had vanished. "I think my grandson would prefer to have that later," he told her cheerfully. "Why don't we chat for a while in some other part of this treehouse? I'm Anakin. I only spent a few minutes on Endor when I was alive, and I've _never_ met a Force-sensitive Ewok."

*******************************************

_In the Force, around Tatooine..._

"Hey, your Forceshipfullness, where've you been?" Han joked.

"Just because you don't get the natty blue glow doesn't mean you need to call me that, nerfherder," Leia sighed.

"He told me I was just a memory, can you believe that?"

"You're just jealous because he projected himself from Kef Bir to Exegol in eleven parsecs," Luke teased.

"I'm starting to miss Chewie," Han said. "I can't handle the two of you on my own."

The three ghostly forms looked toward the horizon at the twin setting suns. "You're not alone," Leia smiled up at Han, taking his hand.

"I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the force projection in TLJ the golden dice persist longer than Luke does, so there's no reason why Ben's "good boy sweater" wouldn't persist longer than his own physical form, right? We all know he doesn't *need* a shirt...

**Author's Note:**

> So, who do you think the man is? Maybe it's Palpatine?
> 
> Wicket's daughter Cindel is named after the human girl who befriends Wicket in Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985 made for TV movie). For the love of all that is holy, do not watch it. I love Ewoks, but wow, that thing was an abomination.


End file.
